Landmines are extremely effective weapons, but often come with unintended consequences. A landmine is an explosive device that is triggered with pressure or by a tripwire. Typically they are buried just beneath the surface of the ground. The purpose of a landmine is to disable a person or vehicle that comes in contact with it.

There are millions of landmines throughout the world; many of them planted decades ago and their locations forgotten. Mines can remained armed for up to 50 years after being planted, causing injury and death to thousands of people each year. As a result of this tragic consequence, smart mines have recently been developed. These mines automatically become disarmed after a set period of time, making them less harmless to innocent people.

There are two basic types of mines: anti-personnel mines and anti-tank mines. The anti-personnel mines take between 11 and 35 pounds of pressure to be triggered. Typically the pressure is applied when an unsuspecting person steps on the hidden mine. The most common mine, called a blast mine, will explode the moment the pressure is released (i.e. when the person moves their foot) causing serious injuries or death.

The other type of anti-personnel landmine is a bounding/fragmentation mine. When pressure is applied and released to this mine, the landmine will propel 3 feet into the air and explode. This mine will cause significant damage to the chest and head region, often times causing immediate death.

The final landmine is the anti-tank mine, which requires much more pressure to detonate and will destroy tanks and other military vehicles. Anywhere between 350 to 745 pounds of pressure are required to trigger the mine, making it ideal to destroy a military vehicle. Once activated, the landmine will likely rip apart the vehicle and any inhabitants.